Hydraulically actuated driver



March 5, 1968 w. H. DUNHAM 3,371,643

HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATED DRIVER Filed Aug. 6, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR i i 35 3 Wa'MZam [7102mm i I as I ATTORNEYS HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATED DRI VER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 6, 1962 ATTORNEYS 33 INVENTOR WMzlam 6. 0mm

35 BY V MflwdgW/M 3,371,643 Patented Mar. 5, 1968 3,371,643 I HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATED DRIVER William Howard Dunham, 9911 Parkwood Drive, Bethesda, Md. 2111314 Filed Aug. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 215,212 Claims. (Cl. 114-206) The present invention relates to a hydraulic method of driving anchors or pilings or the like, under water, into deep or shallow river bottoms, lake beds and bottoms of bays and oceans and to apparatus for performing such method.

The apparatus of the present invention is of such design that the equipment is relatively small compared to equipment now in use for similar purposes. Furthermore, certain operations such as driving pilings under water are not now possible with the present state of the art machinery.

In the field of mooring, numerous apparatus have been devised which attempt to satisfy the necessity of rapidly sinking mooring anchors in river beds, bays and ocean bottoms without the use of cumbersome equipment. The most promising equipment available today is the explosive anchor. This device was designed such that an expiosive charge could be inserted in the rear of the anchor and loaded into a gun-like carrier. Both were then lowered into the water until contact was made with the bottom. The exposive charge was then detonated and the anchor fired into the bottom. Many disadvantages exist with the explosive type of anchoring device. Handling it while armed and investigating misfires are extremely hazardous. The anchor can also be easily detonated prematurely by striking a pinnacle of rock protruding from the bottom. Still another disadvantage is that the anchor may be fired when not pointing at some obtuse angle rather than directly into the bottom.

The present invention, is novel in design, and overcomes all of the aforementioned disadvantages.

The first embodiment of this invention utilizes a hydraulic water and mechanical hammer efiect combined to produce a driving mechanism which may be controlled from the surface.

A driving tube conducts water to a driving head which is arranged to function as a piston. Movement is provided between the driving head and driving tube to allow the driving head to be projected into the bottom. A hydraulic valve in the driving head is rotatably mounted to start and stop the water flow alternately in a timed sequence. An electric variable speed motor is connected to rotate the aforementioned valve. Closure of the valve transforms the driving head into a piston and the water hammer effect produced by valve closure supplies the energy to drive the head into the bottom. The driving head contains an anchor at its lower end having retractable fiukes for holding the anchor in place and preventing withdrawal from its sunken position in the bottom. The driving head and anchor are held together by frangible means, such as shear pins to enable the driving head to be separated from the anchor after the anchor has been sunk.

A second embodiment of this invention utilizes a special carriage which holds the anchor upright while the anchor is driven into the bottom and also utilizes a hollow sphere which provides a reservoir into which water producing the hammer effect is exhausted.

An object of this invention is to provide a driving mechanism which is capable of driving anchors, pilings, well casings and drill bits into river beds and bay and ocean bottoms.

A further object of this invention is to provide a driving mechanism which is safe and can be easily handled and controlled.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a self-powered anchor mechanism for deep water operations.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accom anying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, shown ready to be driven into the bottom underlying a body of water;

FIGURE 2 is a view like FIGURE 1 showing the apparatus after the anchor has been sunk and separated;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is another sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a view in side elevation of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 5, in its carrying rig;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional View taken along line 77 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a view in section illustrating the hydraulic release mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGURE 1, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of this invention a pump 88 which supplies high pressure fluid from the surrounding water, through supply pipe 89 to a driving tube 10 which is threadedly connected to casing 11. The apparatus is supported from a ship or barge by a chain which attaches to eye 9 on the supply pipe. A series of battles 100 in the supply pipe guide fluid flow around the 90 turn in the supply pipe to prevent loss of velocity. Casing 11 is threadedly connected to casing 17. Hollow, open-ended piston member 15 is threadedly connected to the main driving head 19. Driving head 19 is connected to the anchor retaining nut 31 by frangible means such as shear pins 3% which may be broken to re lease the anchor from the driving head when the anchor is sunk into the ground. Retaining nut 31 is threadedly connected to be anchor housing 33.

Driving tube 10 conducts high velocity water through the driving head valve 21. Impact resistant rings 13 are mounted on the opposing faces of casing 17 and driving head 19. Impact resistant ring 12 is mounted on the top face of piston 15 and impact resistant ring 16 is mounted on the top inner face of casing 17.

The impact resistant rings 12, 16 and 18 are constructed of semi-resilient material, such as grass, malleable iron and the like and serve to transmit the driving impulse between opposing faces, =from the driving tube to the driving head and are designed to be easily replaceable. Cylindrical line 13 of casing 11 is chrome-plated steel or brass, designed to withstand wear due to suspended silt particles. O-rings 14 prevent water from escaping around piston 15 and provide a sliding seal between the piston and lining 13. Housing 17 imparts the impact energy of the driving tube and housing 11 to the driving head faces 18 and then to the driving head 19. Piston 15 serves to connect and align casing 11 and anchor 33 while the anchor is being driven into the ground. Housing 19 supports by sealed bearings 21 the rotating valve body 21 which is rotatingly driven by electric motor 26 through ring gears 22 and 23. Ring gear 22 is fixedly mounted on valve body 21 and is driven by gear 23 which is connected by a variable speed gear reducer 24 to electric motor 26, bolted to housing 19 by bolts 25. Valve port 23 is formed in the wall of valve body 21 to allow fluid communication between piston 15 and the valve body. The diameter of valve port 28 is approximately equal to the internal diameter of piston 15 and is smaller than the diameter of valve body 21. The anchor retaining nut 31 is retained in housing 19 by shear pins 30. Cable connector 27 is bolted to housing 19. Steel cable 32 is coiled within anchor housing 33, and is attached to the anchor housing 33 by cable connector 34. Anchoring flukes 35 are rotatably connected to the exterior surface of the anchor housing 33 by pivot pins 36.

Piston 15 is fixedly connected to housing 19, in which valve 21 is rotatably supported by bearings 29. Ring gear 22 is mounted on the periphery of valve 20 and is driven by gear 23, which in turn is rotated by gear reduction box 24 which is powered by electric motor 26. The electric motor 26 is bolted to housing 19 by bolts 26.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 6 a sphere or reservoir 40 is attached as by welding to driving head 50, and driving head 50 is connected by shear pins 30 to anchor 33 in the manner shown in FIGURE 3. The anchor 33 is the same as shown in FIGURE 3 and a cable 32, as shown in FIGURE 3 is connected to the driving head 50 in the manner shown in FIGURE 3.

Water entering through port 51 in sphere 40 flows through valve body 44 into the interior of the sphere 40. Valve 44 is rotatably driven by ring gear 46 fixedly mounted thereon and is rotatably supported by sealed bearings 45 mounted in valve housing 52 formed in the bottom of the sphere. Driving gear 46 is driven by gear 48 which in turn is driven by a water turbine 49. Access is gained to the interior at the sphere 40 by access doors 43 and 47. Interior flow dissipating fingers 41 are mounted in spaced rows about the inner periphery of the upper half of sphere 40. Guide pins 42 are fixedly mounted as by welding on the exterior portion of sphere 40 to insure vertical travel of the anchor.

As best seen in FIGURE 6, the anchor and sphere assemblies are maintained in a vertical position by carrying rig 90. The carrying rig comprises a tripod having cylindrical legs 55. A bracket 60 on the top of the rig has a cable 61 attached thereto so that the rig may be lowered from a barge or ship. The guide pins 42 on the sphere ride in respective vertically extending channel members 62, one channel member being mounted on the inner portion on each leg 55 and having a guide pin 42 slidably mounted therein.

Mounted in cylinder 64 in the base of each leg 55 is a hydraulic piston 57 having an arm 63 extending below the base of the leg and connected to a foot 56. A second hydraulic piston 66 is mounted in a cylinder 65 in the upper portion of each leg, slightly below the guide pins 42. Conduit 58 in each leg interconnects cylinders 64 and 65 and is filled with hydraulic fluid. A stop lug 91 is slidably mounted in each leg, extending into the channel of the respective member 62 to support the guide pin. A cam surface 71 is formed on the upper end of each piston arm 70 and a cam follower surface 72 is formed in stop pin 67.

Water is supplied through port 80 in housing 52 to drive turbine 49. Water from turbine 49 is exhausted through port 81 in housing 52 to the reservoir 40. Plug 82 seals port 80 from the ambient and rope or cable 83 interconnects one of the legs 55 and the plug 82.

In the operation of the embodiment of FIGURES l-4 the hydraulic hammer and anchor are lowered to the bottom of the ocean, bay or the like. Pump 88 pumps part of the ambient water into supply pipe 89 to driving tube 10. Water flows from driving tube into hollow piston 15. Motor 26 is turned on, such as by suitable remote control means, and valve body 21 begins to rotate. When port 28 in valve body 21 is in complete or partial alignment with hollow piston water flows into the valve body and exits to the ambient at a right angle to its direction of flow into the valve body. Because of the change of direction of the flow from vertically to horizontally a large momentum force acts upon the driving head to drive the anchor into the ocean bottom. When the valve body is so positioned as to block flow through piston 15 into port 28 the impulse force of the water in the piston against the valve body drives the anchor further into the ground while driving the driving tube upward. When the valve reopens flow therethrough is resumed, diminishing pressure in the driving tube and the driving tube drops downwardly against the anchor, driving it further into the ground. As the valve body rotates these forces alternately drive the anchor farther into the ocean bottom. Since mass X velocity time increment,

it can be seen that if the valve body is rotated at a high speed a very high force of short duration is produced. This is useful in drilling into hard surfaces such as granite. If the valve body is rotated at a lower speed a smaller force of greater duration is produced. This is useful in drilling into softer substances, such as mud.

When the drilling operation is completed the cable supporting the fluid supply tube is pulled upward. This upward froce shears pins 30 and separates the anchor 33 from the rest of the apparatus which is drawn up to the barge or ship to be reused as seen in FIGURE 2. The cable 32 is uncoiled when the apparatus is raised and the end at the waters surface may be attached to a buoy, ship or the like. The upward force of the cable causes the flukes to be opened to secure the anchor.

In the operation of the embodiment of FIGURES 5-8, the carrying rig 9t) and sphere 40 are lowered to the ocean or river floor. When feet 56 hit the bottom, the rig continues to drop and hydraulic pistons 57 move upwardly in cylinders 64 to force hydraulic fiuid into cylinders 65 and force pistons 66 upwardly. When pistons 66 travel upwardly cam faces 71 act against follower faces 72 to drive stop pins 67 out from beneath guide pins 42, thus releasing the sphere 40 and allowing it to drop until the tip of anchor 33 hits the ocean or river bottom. As the sphere is lowered, cable 83, which interconnects plug 82 and one of the legs 55, is pulled taut and plug 82 is pulled out of port to allow water to flow into turbine 45 to initiate operation thereof.

Operation of the turbine drives gears 48 and 46 to rotate valve body 44. Water flowing through port 51 enters valve body 44 through valve opening 28, flows horizontally through the valve body into the sphere and flows around the inner surface of the sphere toward the top thereof. Flow dissipating protuberances shown as cylindrical fingers 41 in FIG. 5 churn up the flow and make it turbulent so that it has essentially no velocity when it reaches the apex of sphere 40. By this construction, the water from port 51 is turned through 180, thereby producing approximately twice the momentum force obtainable by the 90 turning of flow accomplished by the apparatus of FIGURES 1-4.

When rotation of valve body 44 causes the valve body to block flow from port 51 into the valve body, the impulse force drives the anchor 33 into the ocean bottom.

Anchor 33 is driven downward upon alternate open and closed positions of valve 44 until further downward motion of the sphere is prevented by stop lugs 91. At this time the cable 61 is hauled up, raising the carrying rig and sphere. Pins 30 are sheared by the lifting force and the anchor is thereby separated from driving head 50. Cable 32 is raised with the driving head so that the anchor may be connected to a buoy, ship or the like.

It will be apparent that these apparatus can be used to drive piles, well casings and the like as well as anchors, merely by attaching such device to the driving head in lieu of an anchor.

Various modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as

force= hereinafter defined by the appended claims as only preferred embodiments thereof have been disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. A marine anchor embedding apparatus comprising a fluid reservoir, having an inner surface and an outer surface, a plurality of protuberances mounted on said inner surface for creating turbulence in fluid flowing therein, a conduit extending into said reservoir, a rot-atably mounted valve positioned in said conduit within said reservoir and intercommunicating said reservoir and said conduit, said valve comprising a hollow cylindrical body for changing the direction of flow of fluid through said conduit through an angle of substantially 90 and the inner surface of said reservoir changing the flow of fluid through substantially another 90", means adapted to selectively rotate said valve from a position closing said conduit to a position permitting fluid to pass through said conduit, and a device mounted to the lower end of said reservoir.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the reservoir is spherical and the protuberances are fingers in the upper hemisphere thereof.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to rotate the valve is a variable speed motor.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a rig supporing and positioning said reservoir, said rig comprising a plurality of vertically disposed legs, means mounted on two of said legs releasably supporting said reservoir, a foot telescopingly mounted in the base of each of said two legs and means responsive to upward movement of said feet in said legs to release said supporting means.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said device comprises an anchor and frangible means attaching 10 said anchor to said reservoir.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,780,438 2/1957 Bielstein 175 92 2,391,770 6/1959 Bauer 175-7 2,633,947 4/1953 Schiif 61-63 3,113,417 1/1964 Stanwick 175 -7 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,649 3/1910 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. B. HERSH, FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Examiners.

J. A. LEPPINK, T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A MARINE ANCHOR EMBEDDING APPARATUS COMPRISING A FLUID RESERVOIR, HAVING AN INNER SURFACE AND AN OUTER SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF PROTUBERANCES MOUNTED ON SAID INNER SURFACE FOR CREATING TURBULENCE IN FLUID FLOWING THEREIN, A CONDUIT EXTENDING INTO SAID RESERVOIR, A ROTATABLY MOUNTED VALVE POSITIONED IN SAID CONDUIT WITHIN SAID RESERVOIR AND INTERCOMMUNICATING SAID RESERVOIR AND SAID CONDUIT, SAID VALVE COMPRISING A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL BODY FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH SAID CONDUIT THROUGH AN ANGLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY 90* AND THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID RESERVOIR CHANGING THE FLOW OF FLUID THROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY ANOTHER 90*, MEANS ADAPTED TO SELECTIVELY ROTATE SAID VALVE FROM A POSITION CLOSING SAID CONDUIT TO A POSITION PERMITTING FLUID TO PASS THROUGH SAID CONDUIT, AND A DEVICE MOUNTED TO THE LOWER END OF SAID RESERVOIR. 